In findings released Tuesday, a coroner in New Zealand told an inquest that a mother of eight would not have died when and how she did were it not for her Coca-Cola habit, several news agencies reported.

Natasha Harris died on Feb. 25, 2010, after suffering a heart attack, the Stuff.co.nz website reported. News accounts variously gave her age as 30 or 31.

Natasha Harris was in her early 30s when she died from a heart attack. A coroner in her native New Zealand linked her heavy Coca-Cola habit to her death. The Associated Press

According to Stuff:

Harris drank up to 10 liters of Coke every day -- equal to more than twice the recommended safe daily limit of caffeine and almost one kilogram of sugar.

In the recent findings cited by the Huffington Post, coroner David Crerar wrote:

"I find that, when all of the available evidence is considered, were it not for the consumption of very large quantities of Coke by Natasha Harris, it is unlikely that she would have died when she died and how she died.''

Harris' partner, Chris Hodgkinson, said she also smoked up to 30 cigarettes a day and ate very little, the Huffington Post said.

Harris developed cardiac arrhythmia, a condition in which the heart beats too slow, too fact or irregularly. A postmortem exam showed she had an enlarged liver.

Crerar said Coca-Cola could not be held responsible for the health of those who drink too much of its product, but said soft-drink makers should "display clearer warnings on their beverages about the risks of too much sugar and caffeine," the BBC said.

In a statement published by the BBC, Coca-Cola said Crerar had said he could not be sure what caused Harris' heart attack:

"Therefore we are disappointed that the coroner has chosen to focus on the combination of Ms. Harris' excessive consumption of Coca-Cola, together with other health and lifestyle factors, as the probable cause of her death."

What do you think? Should soft-drink makers warn customers about the risks of too much sugar and caffeine? Please respond in the comments below.